Galbadian School Blues
by Jameson
Summary: Irvine's adventures at Galbadia garden before he joins up with his FF8 pals. You get to meet his old friends and see some old love interests and guess what!?! Its finals!!!! ::undinished::


            The alarm clock rang.  He fumbled for the snooze, but missed and knocked his textbooks off the table.  They landed with a bang, which officially scared him into consciousness.  'Drat.'  He turned off the alarm and looked at the clock.   There was a sticky-note on the face in his handwriting.  It read_ Test day, genius, get your booty out of bed!  _

'Aw!  Shoot!'  He turned on the lamp by the bed, which forced a painfully bright light to flow into the room.  "Ow!"  Covering his eyes, he climbed out from under the covers.   Rubbing the sleepiness away, he yawned and went through his morning rutine.  "Looks like another day, why me?"  Standing up, the student stretched, threw his long brown hair out of his face, and grabbed for his uniform.  Holding up the navy and red suit, he remembered something else.  "Oh!  Yeah!  Exams today!  It's a free dress day!"

Throwing the uniform down, he purposely stepped on it on his way to the closet.  Pants, vest, trench coat, he reached for his trademark cowboy hat to finish himself off.  "There."  He strung a beaded necklace around his neck and started to comb out his hair.  "Lets see, finals in…" RIP  "Ow!…Biology and"  RIP  "Ow!  Engineering and…" He grabbed a tie and pulled his hair back into a long, brown ponytail.  "And Phys-Ed and Combat."  He stared at himself in the mirror, his blue eyes catching the reflection of themselves.  "And, pick up a date for the Winter Dance, Friday."  He tipped his hat at his reflection, "lookin' sharp, man."

Out of his dorm and down the stairs, he met up with a young, red haired man who was waiting for him.  "Hey, Irvine!"

"Hey," he answered, "what's news?"

"Nothing."  The guy said.  "You had breakfast yet?"

"Nope."  Irvine adjusted the pile of books he held under his arm.  "But I think I will, today, I need energy, bad."

"You up late, too?"  The boy asked, turning to his own textbooks.  "Exams bite!"

"You said it, just don't let the headmaster hear you."  Irvine said, smiling.  They strode off to the cafeteria.

When they got there, a blonde girl waved to them from where she was sitting with a mixed group of other students.  "Irvine!  Davis!"

They both looked up.

"Come sit over here!"

They made their way across the cafeteria and unloaded their books on the table where the blonde and her friends sat.  

"Whoa," one of the guys at the table said,  "you guys been studying?"

"For my life!"  Irvine said.  

Davis ran a hand over his spiky red head.  "What, Ronald?  I notice you don't have any books with you, aren't you studying?"

"I told you not to call me that!"  The guy shouted, his brown eyes frowning at Davis.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Davis apologized, jovially, "Mr. Current, aren't you studying?"

"Riverside, and no."  He answered.  "I'm not studying because I've got an Exempt."

"An exempt!?!"  Irvine exclaimed.  "For all of them?"

"Hah!"  The dark skinned girl sitting next to him laughed, she leaned down and grabbed a load of textbooks from under Riverside's chair.  "Not exactly all of them."

"San!"  Riverside cried.  "Why'd ya do that?"  He put all of the study materials back down under his seat.  "I finally got them all to stand up!"

"Ah, hah."  Davis grinned.  "An Exempt, huh?"

Riverside re-appeared, "Yeah!  I may not have all my classes, but I did get one!"  He leaned back, cool once again.  "I don't have to take my Natural Science Exam, this time."

"Oh, aren't we special?"  Davis mocked.  "C'mon, Irvine, let's go get in line."  The two of them left their stuff on the table and headed to the back of the cafeteria.  Davis got a tray off the stack, he seemed a little annoyed.  "Can you believe he got an Exempt?"

"I believe it," Irvine said, doing the same, "We're in his class."

"Shut up!"  Davis snapped, "I'm looking for a little sympathy, here!"

Irvine shrugged, "sorry."

"You know," Davis continued, on a lighter note, "I would give just about anything for an exempt from my class in Law."

"Puh," Irvine grabbed a doughnut of the shelf, "I would give anything to be smart enough to get into a class in law."

"You're smart, man," Davis said, "you're taking, what, Medical, and Physical Sciences?"

"Physical Science is nothing special."  Irvine assured him.  "I usually sleep through it."

"And you still pass!"  Davis exclaimed.  The lunch lady looked up from under her hair net and asked what they wanted.  He took some eggs and bacon.  Irvine declined the offer.

            "Well, look at you, genius!"  Irvine returned.  "You have law and Nuclear Science back to back, not to mention being in Engineering with me."  They arrived at the cash register.  "You're smart."

"No, you're smart."  Davis said.  He handed the cashier a couple bills.

"No, you."  Irvine did the same.  They headed back to the table and parked behind their books.  

"I tell, you, man, You are smart."

"You got it all wrong, Dave, YOU are the smart one!"

"Fighting over who is smartest, again?"  San asked, putting her dark chin in her hand to look at them over her breakfast.

"Yeah."  Davis answered.  "And it's HIM."

Irvine shook his head and laughed.  "Okay, you win."

Davis bowed, "thank you, thank you, everyone!"

Everybody clapped, jovially.  The two competitors cleared their places, and sat down.

The blonde girl looked over what her friends had brought back.  "Irvine!  That's all you're having?!"

He took a bite out of the solitary doughnut he'd bought.  "What?"  He swallowed.  "I don't usually eat breakfast."

"Well, Angel, look at you!"  Davis said, "Eggs, bacon, sausage, frosty flakes… I have never seen you eat so much in my entire life!"

The blonde girl blushed.  "I stayed up late studying.  Exams always make me hungry."

"Then it's a good thing that they only come once a semester!"  A Hispanic girl sitting next to her joked.  "Or else you'd inflate like a balloon."

"Haha, very funny, Cruz"

Cruz straightened her glasses on her tan-orange nose and looked to Irvine.  "So, what classes do you have today?"

"Welp," he began "since it's exam day, we only have four classes instead of eight, so I have the honor of testing in Fine Arts, Combat, Engineering, and Pathobiology."

"Pathobiology?"  A boy, Cruz's twin brother, exclaimed.  "Why the hell did you sign up for that?"

"Diego!  Watch your tongue!"  Cruz reprimanded, slapping him in the arm.

"I signed up because I have already taken Biology, AP Biology, Human Anatomy, Bacteriology, Immunology, Virology, and Genetics."  He answered.  "Pathobiology was the obvious next step."

"Do you want to be a scientist or something?"  Riverside asked.  

"I don't really know what I want to be."  Irvine answered.  "I'm just, like, goin' with what interests me."

"Aren't you taking Medicine?"  Another girl, Barbara, asked.

"Yes, Duh!"  Davis, Angel, Diego, Cruz, and San shot back.  "We are all in his class!"

"Sorry, sheesh!"  Barbara defended.  "My brain's just really shot with all this studying."

"What are you taking, today, Barbara?"  Davis asked, leaning over his plate and gnawing on a strip of bacon.

"Well" she moved her straight brown hair out of her face "I've got Engineering with you guys, Studies in Law, and Combat."  She shuddered and flipped through her notebook that lay open on the table.  "I am _so not ready for this Engineering exam."_

"You'll make it, Bara."  Another kid, a boy named Berkeley, assured her in thick Carribean colloquialism.  "Don' worry, you have a  handle on it."  He leaned back on the chair, causing two of the four legs to rise from the floor.

"You are certainly confident this morning."  Riverside said to him.

"Lemme guess."  Davis said, unenthusiastically, "you have an Exempt, too?"

"No, mon, I have to take every las' one of m'exams today," he said, and smiled, "but te good news is dat Blade said she'd go to te dance with me."

Irvine almost choked on the last of his doughnut.  Swallowing hard he turned and said to him.  "You got a date with Blade!"

"She's like, the hottest dame in Garden!"  Diego exclaimed, equally as impressed.

"Make all of Galbadia!" Riverside gawked.

"No, make that the WORLD!"  Davis mused.

"Yeah, mon," Berkeley agreed, "and she's te luckiest girl on te face of te planet, since she's going to te Winter Dance with Yer's Truly."

"Oh, please."  Davis rolled his eyes and returned to breakfast.

The others shook their heads and did the same.

Berkeley landed the last two legs on the tile.  "What, mon?"

Overhead, a tone rang out, signaling to everyone that breakfast social time was over.  They all reached for their books and threw all the trays to Berkeley, who refused to take them to the washer, but ended up doing it anyway.  They got to the hallway outside the classroom wing of Galbadia Garden, where Angel turned to Irvine, and asked.  "Where are you off to first?"

"Biology."

"I'm heading over to the science block, too, for Informational Sciences."  She announced.  "I'll walk with you."

"Alrighty" he smiled.  They headed off down the halls.

"So," Angel began, "do you have a date yet?"

He let his shoulders sag.  "No, but I'm working on it."

"I find it weird."  Angel announced.  Irvine looked down at her.  "Weird that such a nice guy has such a problem getting a girl to go out with him."

He laughed a little.  "Maybe I'm so nice, they're afraid that I'll charm them to death."

"That is a possibility."  Angel joked.   They both laughed.  "Really, there is someone around that doesn't have a date yet that will be perfect for you, just wait until you find her."

"I hope I find her before the dance."

They stopped outside of Angel's classroom, "See you in Fine Arts, Irvine!"

"Seeya!"  They said goodbye and parted company.  He continued on and came to his locker.

"Heya, Irve!"  The guy in the locker next to him greeted.  

"Heya, Rance!"  He said back, mimicking the tone of voice the latter had used.

"Ya ready for that Whopper Combat Final Today?"  Rance asked, grabbing out a binder and shoving another in, haphazardly.

"Yeah, I think so."  Irvine answered.  He unloaded seven textbooks into the locker and, pulling out a book bag, put his Pathobiology book inside.  "Combat is a hard class to fail."

"It's my specialty!"  Rance announced, shutting his locker door.  "Be seein' ya, Irve."

"Alrighty."  Irvine closed his door and the two took off in different directions.  Another tone rang out over the hall.  "Oh!  Shoot!"  He picked up the pace.  "The warning bell, already!?  I've got one minute to get halfway across the block!  I can't be late on Exam day!"  He made it to the classroom door just as the final bell rang.

"Good morning, Mr. Kinneas," the instructor jested, seeing the man slip into the room just as the bell finished toning, "so nice of you to join us this morning."

The other students in the class snickered, but Irvine took it cool.  "I was just in the hall going over my Biology notes before your exciting class started, and I got so caught up in it, I just don't know where the time went!"

"Take your seat, smart aleck."  The teacher said.  He went and sat down.  The instructor began his work.  "If you would all put away your notes and take out your pencils, It's time for the Final Exams!"

"Aww."  The class groaned, and cleared their desks.  The teacher passed out the test sheets.  

"Now, since today is Exam Day, you all have the pleasure of staying with me for two hours instead of one!"  He grinned, his graying mustache curving upward.  "And believe me, you will need BOTH of those hours to complete this test.  If you don't finish, then you don't finish and points are deducted from the final grade."

A student raised his hand.

"Yes, Mr. Kinsly."

The boy began to speak, and asked, "Professor MacMillan, can we use a calculator on this test?"

"Yes, but you can only use a calculator for the equations."  Instructor MacMillan informed.

"Yes!"  The whole class reached down into their bags to retrieve their calculators.

"But only when I tell you you can."  He said.  They all stopped.  "Which isn't until chapter twelve."

"Awww."  They all groaned again and re-zipped their bags.

"But while you are down there, you will need two sharpened number two pencils and a couple sheets of blank paper for the essay."

'A couple!?!' Irvine thought.  'Drat, it's one of his long essays.'  He received his test booklet.  'I hate essays.'

"The essay is worth a forth of the total grade."  He announced.  "So get it done."

Irvine bit the end of his pencil, nervously.

Professor MacMillan finished passing out the pamphlets and glanced up at the clock.  "Okay, you can start….ohhh…. Now!"

There was a frenzy of flipping pages, as the students dove into the exam.  Irvine, like most of the others, flipped straight to the essay in the back.

_'Write a one-thousand word essay on the importance of Pathobiology and how knowing the causes of, and changes which diseases make in reference to the human body are important in modern science.'_

'Oh God on high have Mercy!'  He thought.  'It's the essay from Hell!'

The minutes ticked by, the questions in the rest of the packet were all short answer and the essay still dwelled, menacingly at the end of the test.  Students flipped pages.  When about an hour was up, Instructor MacMillan announced that they could get out their calculators.  Irvine wished that he kept his calculator in the same pocket as his science notes.  It took him a second to get the bag unzipped, because his hands were so clammy.  Near the end of the second hour, he had gotten halfway through the essay, and sweated off most of his body weight.  

"You have five minutes left."  Professor MacMillan announced.  "So those of you who are not on the essay better get there, and fast."

'Professor, you're not helping…' Irvine thought, he took out a new page of paper, a couple sheets weren't enough.  He began his closing paragraph.

_'In conclusion, Pathobiology has improved the scientific awareness of doctors and genealogists as a whole by allowing them to chart and detect the occurrence of disease in the modern day.'_

He took a deep breath.  'Two minutes, what else to say, what else to SAY?!?'

The minute passed, his hands shaking.  The tone was about to ring, and he still had to finish his last paragraph.  Frantically, he jotted something down and flipped the packet back to the front just in time for the bell.

Several students threw down their pencils in disbelief.

"Now, wasn't that fun?  Everyone, make sure you're names are on it, and staple it before turning it in to me at the door."

Irvine shoved himself up from the desk and scratched his name across the top of the page.  A staple, and then all he had to do was turn it in, and he would never see that horrid test again.  When all was done, he grabbed his stuff and left Pathobiology behind for another day.  Angel was waiting for him outside.

"So?  How was it?"

"T-t-terrifying."  He stammered.  She giggled.  

"It was only the first one."

"Don't remind me."  They weaved through the hall.  "Ange, I have to stop by my locker, you can go on if you want."

"No, I'll wait for you."  She answered.  "What do you need to get to your locker for?"

"I forgot for a split second that it was Exam day, and I'm lugging my Biology book around."  He answered.  They got to his locker and he spun out the combination on his lock.  He opened it, and unzipped his bag.  Angel looked over the decorations on the locker door while he unloaded.

"I didn't know you'd hung my school picture up in your locker, Irvine."  She said.

"Sure, you're my friend, aren't you?"

"Yeah."  She pointed to another shot of all nine of them.  "Where'd you take this?"

He glanced over.  "Oh, that was the field trip to Deling City, remember?"

"Oh yeah!"  She looked closer.  "That was back before Diego got his glasses!  He looks so weird!  And look at Riverside's haircut!"  The boy in the picture had hair that was longer and shaggy, unlike what Riverside's hair presently looked like, short, with died blue streaks and plenty of gel.  "he's still wearing that vest, though."  She said.  She looked to the upper corner where he'd hung a couple newspaper clippings.  "How come you've got all these models up in your locker, Irvine?"

He quickly shut the door, "let's move on, shall we?"

             She laughed and they took off down the hall.

Rounding a corner, they left the science block completely.  Upon crossing the commons and entering the Fine Arts block, they met Berkeley and Barbara by the door.

"Hi, guys."  Barbara greeted, meekly.  "Are you ready for the FA test?"

"I am,"  Angel assured her, flipping a strand of her blonde bangs out of her face.  "I really liked Fine Arts this semester, I don't think I'll have trouble."  

"How about you, Irvine?"  Barbara asked him.  She straightened out one of the crooked bra-straps that were peeking out from under her tanktop.

            "I just had one of the worst experiences of my life!"  He exclaimed.  "I don't think I'm gonna survive the Fine Arts final!"

            "Don't sweat it, bro."  Berkeley put up his dark, muscular arm and punched Irvine playfully in the shoulder.  "Tis only how you tink about it."

            "And what test did you just take, Berkeley?"  Angel asked.

            "I jus came from me Class in Law, mon."  Berkeley replied.  "It was a killar!"

            "And yet he is still smiling."  Barbara said sarcastically as she looked up from her notes.  "Even Irvine isn't smiling for once!"  She brushed aside a clump of the light brown hair that was matted down around her face.  "I personally thought that that Law exam was sent postal from Satan."

            "It came with my Biology test, no doubt."  Irvine answered.

            She wiped her face.  "At least I don't have Nuclear Physics, today."

            Riverside, his plaid flannel vest flapping as he ran, approached from down the hall and stood with them at the enterance to the Fine Arts block.  "Berkeley!  Are you coming?"  He asked.

            "Wait, mon."  Berkeley moved his short dreadlocks out of his face.  "Blade said she'd meet me here."

            "Blade's coming here!?!"  Irvine exclaimed.  "It's a good thing you're already going with her, or I might faint."

            "Still no date?"  Riverside asked.

            "I'll find one." 

            "So how was your Photography final, Riverside?"  Barbara asked.

            "It was okay, I don't like the way the teacher does it, though."  He answered.  "She is looking over your shoulder the whole time.  It's too bad that I have her this hour, too."

            "I didn't know Ms. Newsie taught Journalism, too."  Barbara said.

            "Yes you did, Barbara,"   Riverside laughed, "She has for two years.  I have complained about her every day at lunch since first quarter."

            "You have?"  Barbara asked, shocked.  "I'm sorry, I'm just really out of it."

            "You don't handle tests well, do you?"  Angel joked.

            "No, I get so nervous with written exams and stuff."  She said, opening her notes, again.  "But don't worry, I'll be just fine after the Phys-Ed and Combat test!"

            "Hey, Blade!"  Everyone turned as Berkeley welcomed up a tall, thin, strawberry-blonde, hazel eyed, woman.  She slinked up, casually on her platforms, and strung her arms around the young man's neck.

            "Hi, Berk."

            Both Riverside's and Irvine's jaws dropped.  "Wow." 

            "Heya, baby how's 't goin'"  Berkeley asked, his Caribbean accent thick as ever.

            "Just fine,"  She answered, soothingly, while batting her long eyelashes at him, "but do you know what would make it sooooo much better?"  She pulled in close and began to kiss him repeatedly.  It was almost a violent act, and immediately they became engrossed in each other.  They're arms grabbing, and wrapping around each other, augmented by the occasional 'ooo' and 'ahhh'.

            Barbara made a face.  "That was sudden."

            "How long have you known this girl, Berk?" Angel asked.

            "Two days." Berkeley answered, shortly, returning to his previous occupation.

            "Gawww!"  Riverside made an awestruck sound and bit his fist.  Irvine rolled his eyes up in his head and pretended to faint onto Riverside's shoulder.

            "Guys are such pigs."  Barbara said, rolling her brown eyes toward Angel who nodded.

            "Hey!"

            A familliar, but unwelcome, voice was heard coming toward them.  All but Berkeley and Blade turned to face he who approached.  

            "You two!  There!  Give it a rest."  It was Headmaster Martine, in all his glorious splendor.  He pushed between Irvine and Angel, and tore the two lovers apart.  "Mr. Hie, I am dissapointed in your behavior!  And Miss. Divion, I don't want to see you in such a reveiling smock again!"

            Blade stood back and hung her head in mock remorse.  She, aparently didn't care if the Headmaster liked the tight, black, low-cut, bellyshirt or not.  Berkeley stood straight, and avoided Martine's gaze.  The others exchanged glances. 

            "And look what all of you are wearing, for one!"  He cried.  "Mr. Hie, no sleaves?  Lace up in front? Khaki shorts?  Sandles?"  He turned to Irvine in his cowboy hat and coat.  "Kinneas, what is this?  It's not Holloween!"  He faced Riverside, but all he could say was.  "Current!  Wash that junk out of your hair, if you're hair was meant to be blue, then God in Heaven would have made it blue!"  Angel only recieved a warning glance.  In her turtlenck sweater, jeans, and loafers, she was the clean cut example that all students should have been following.  He finally desended on Barbara, who was easy prey for him, this morning.  "Miss Hans,"  he started, "Where did you find this?"  He began to name off everything that was wrong with her outfit.  "spaghetti straps!  Tatoo jewelry!  Short skirt!  Small shoes! Enough bracelets to set off the metal detector!"  He spat as he talked and she made a disgusted face off to the side.  "Look at me when I am speaking to you!"  Martine cried.  He turned to the rest of them.  "Where are you're uniforms!?!?  I issue uniforms for a reason!"

            Angel cleared her throat, "uh...sir?"

            "Miss Gracon?"  He asked, irritated.

            "Um..."  She tried not to sound obvious when she said... "It's exam day, sir, it's free dress."

            For a second, Martine looked shocked.  But, he shortly began to turn red.  "Get to class!"

            "Y-yes sir!"  They all said, and watched him go.

            Irvine was the first to break the silence.  He put up his hand, mimicking a gun.  "BANG"

            Martine whirled around.  "You, too, Kinneas!"

            "Gollee."  Riverside said.  "What he'd sit on?"

            "A procupine."  Barbara answered.  "I don't see what was wrong with my shoes."

            Angel turned to the group and shrugged.  "Well, we should be getting to class, anyway.  Come on, guys."  They all started into the Fine Arts block.  Berkeley and Blade kissed one last time before taking off in separate directons.

            Berkeley and Riverside stopped and said goodbye outside Ms. Newsie's Journalism class, and the other three continued on to the Arts Department.  They entered the class and went to their seats, the tone rang a minute after they sat down.  Barbara was in the middle with Irvine on her left and Angel on her right.  It was very conveniant that they were allowed to choose their own seats.  The instructor appeared.

            "Good morning, class." He said.  "I am sure that you are all very excited about this exam."  No one said anything, but there was a generous amount of glances exchanged.  The instructor held up a thick test booklet.  "This, here, is your final."  He flipped through the pages.  "Unfortunately, it is your end of the year final, which will cover all of the material we will learn next semester during your acting unit."  

            Irvine slumped in his chair. 'What's this guy getting at?'

            "I was considering giving you the test, anyway and just not having you do the acting part, but all questions are jumbled, and I don't want you to take any peeks at what you need to know for the end-of-the-year final, so Surprise!"  He tossed the booklet over his shoulder.  "You don't have an exam today!"

            "Yes!"  

            "Wahoo!"

            "Alright!"

            "Yeeeeehaw!"

            The class was rejoicing at the news. 

            "I can't believe it!"  Barbara said, dissapointed, "I did all that studying for nothing?!"

            "Aw, be quiet!"  Irvine jested.  "You should be glad, we don't have to take a test!  My life is saved!"

            "Yeah,"  Angel said, leaning over, "it would be horrible if we had to come back from Winter Break to attend Irvine's funeral!"

            "And, now I get a chance to study for Engineering!"  Barbara cried.  "Hurray!"

            "Welp,"  Irvine shrugged, "that's one way of looking at it."

            "Wait, wait, class," the instructor attempted to acheive control over his students.  His valient efforts were rewarded, and the class settled down.  "I know I said that there'd be no exam, but it's not like you don't have to do any work."  The class emmediately burst in another collage of moans and groans. Irvine had a feeling that he'd be involved in several of these choruses before the day was over.

            The teacher started to pass out individual sheets of paper with instructions typed on them.  "Instead, you all get to write a ten page essay on the history of art and the changes it has made over the years."

            "Awwwg!"  Irvine joined in the fourth array of groans for the day.

            "The catch is, that you will not be allowed time to work on them in class."  The teacher continued.  "Instead, I will walk around and grade you on independant projects you will work on for our two hour period."

            "They don't even give us time to work on it!?"  One student cried.  "That's Bogus, Mr. Simms!"

            "Look," Instructor Simms sympathiesed, "it isn't like you have an exorbitant amount of homework this evening.  This will be all you have to do, tonight."

            "Uh, newsflash, instructor," Irvine said under his breath, "we have to study?"

            "You are all dissmissed to your favorite activties," Mr. Simms announced, "remember, you will be graded for participation points."

            Irvine, Barbara, and Angel stood up and walked over to the supply station where all the other students were waiting.  "So, what are you two going to make for you're grade?"  Angel asked.  "I am thinking of watercoloring a beautiful landscape of wildlfowers."

            "I'm gonna paint a huge portrait of a Triface tearing off Instructor Simms's head!"  Barbara announced.  "With plenty of red for the blood!"

            "You are a Violent little person!"  Irvine exclaimed, jovially.

            "Violence helps me relax."  Barbara answered.  "I don't know, I think I'll paint a fight scene, but I'll disguise Simms's face so that he wont recognise himself."  She grabbed some paper.  "And not too much blood."

            "You know," Angel said, "I think I will do a perspective drawing to pracitce for my architecture class."  She grabbed a drawing pencil and a straight-edge.  "What are you doing, Irvine?"

            "I donno."  He answered.  "I think I'll just rip off a chunk of clay and turn it into something."  He answered.  "This isn't my best class."

            "I know, I took this course for an easy A, too."  One kid answered as he dug out a blob of clay.  "I kind of like this modeling junk, though."  

            "I liked it when we drew from life."  Irvine offered.  "And that senior from the class before stood up and posed for us..."

            The fellow student whistled. "Ooooooh, yeah, she was fine!"

            "Ug."  Barbara said again, "Men."

            They all returned to their seats.  Barbara set out her utensils and brushes, stopping a couple times to comb back the piece of chin-length hair that refused to stay behind her ear.  Angel set out her rulers and pencils and straight edges on the margins of her drawing paper.  Irvine clunked the chunk of clay onto a spread of newspaper.  Making sure that everything was set, they all began work.

            "What color would you say a Triface is?"  Barbara asked, squeezing out some brown paint.

            "They are kind of reddish."  Irvine answered.  "With brown and black."

            "Thanks," she reached for the red.  "I really hope I run into one of these at the training center today for the test."  The red paint squelched out onto the pallet.  She reached for the black.

            Irvine squeezed the clay into a mishapen column, then bent two thirds of it over about ninety degrees.  "Hey, look, it's a gun."

            "Very funny, Cowboy."  Angel said.  "Is that all you think about?"

            "Nah, women are good looking, too."  He answered.  He squashed the firearm into a lump again.  "But they are hard to make out of clay."

            "Do you enjoy shooting things?"  Angel asked.  "I mean, you don't care that you are taking lives when you mess around with your shotgun?"

            "What?"  Irvine asked, defensively.  "You mean those Jelleyes in the Training center?"  He flattened the modeling goop into a disk.  "Those things aren't aware!  They're nothing but floating eyes...and gel...  Anyway, I just have fun shooting, is all."

            "So,"  Instructor Simms meandered over to see what the three of them were doing.  "What do you have here?"  They looked up from their activities and let him see what they had.   "Barbara, this is ... Interesting..."  He admired the partially dimembered body that the girl had sketched out on the canvas.

            "Yep!"  She chirped.  "It's maimed."

            "erg..."  He looked a little green in the face.  "Right, do you really need that much _gulp red paint?"_

            "Well, of course I do!"  She smiled.  "He has all his major arteries severed.  And look at all the gashes in his head, I need to make this painting accurate."  She dipped her brush into the senquin dye.  "I learned that in Human Anatomy last year."

            "That's... uh....great, Barbara, you just keep up the good work."  He put a hand to his stomach and went over to look at what Angel had done.  "You aren't making any gorey scenes, are you?"

            "No, sir."  Angel answered.  "I am making a hospital, see," she showed him the drawing.  "This door here is the emergency room door.  There is an ambulence, and this man is being rushed in because he needs his leg re-attatched."  She showed him the sketch of the little man who was holding onto his own severed leg while a couple stick men were wheeling him into the ER.

            "ugg,"  He closed his eyes and clasped his stomach tighter.  "That's great, Angel.  It's so serene."  He stumbled over to the last of the trio.  "What do you have, Irvine?"

            He'd squeezed the chunk of clay so that it had an upper body, a head and a pair of arms.  They weren't very well done, but still, distinguishable.  "Aw, I was making a person, but I think I'll start over."

            "That's fine."  The instructor said.  "Do whatever you want."

            "Alrighty."  He said.  He reached up and ripped the head and one arm off his sculpture.  Instructor Simms gagged.

            "Hey, Irvine, now it looks like my painting."  Barbara observed.

            "I'll just..."  Instructor Simms took his leave, "Call me if you need me."

            When he was gone, they all looked at eachother and laughed.

            The time passed pretty quickly after that.  They all got their work done, and recieved participation in full.  The bell rang shortly afterward.

            "You know, that class went a lot faster than I thought it would."  Angel said.  "I thought that two hours with Mr. Simms would last forever."

            "It wasn't that boring, either."  Irvine added.  "I'd forgotten that Instructor Simms was squeemish!"

            "Well, I'm just glad it's lunch time!"  Barbara admitted.  

            "It is, isn't it?"  Angel asked.

            Irvine nodded.  "I'm starved!"

            They wandered around and reached the cafeteria in no time.  Berkeley and Riverside were already at their usual table waiting for them.  "Hi guys!"  Riverside waved.  "Do you know where Deigo and the others are during second hour?"

            "I don't."  Angel answered.  "Do you two know?"

            "Not me."  Barbara shrugged.

            "No one's in my classes."  Irvine said.  "I think Davis is in Veterinary Medicine with Cruz and Diego, though."

            "That's right!  They're all in VM second!"  Riverside exclaimed.  "Thanks, Irvine."

            "Sure, what'd I do?"

            "You so slow, mon!"  Berkeley joked. 

            "We better go get in line, if we want time to study while we're eating." Announced Barbara.

            "Sure, Bar, we're coming."  Angel answered.  Barbara and Irvine dropped their stuff and left.  Angel paused a second to say, "hey, when Cruz comes, make sure she sits by me, okay guys?"

            "Sure ting, mon."  Berkeley answered, taking another bite out of his hamburger.  "Oh, an' when yer gettin' your lunch, mon, don't get the chili.  A kid from da next table just left for de infirmary."

            "Sure, Berkeley."  Angel said, skeptically.  "Thanks for the warning, anyway."

            "I's da truth, Ange!  I sweer!"

            Angel took off for the lunchline and butted in front of several students to stand by Barbara and Irvine.  Barbara was rambling on and on about how unprepared she was for her Engineeering exam.

            "I tell, you all those terms and definitions!  It's going to drive me insane!"

            "Oh, no, Barbara, not again!"  Angel shook her head.

            "Barbara!"  Irvine said.  "If you would stop worrying and start actually thinking straight, maybe this wouldn't be so much of a problem!"

            "Easy for you to say!"  Barbara shot back.  "You're always Mr. Easygoing!  Me, no, I don't have any raw talent to fall back on!  I am trying to become a Nuclear Engineer, and it won't look to good on my permanent record to have flunked out of basic Engineering!"

            They all took a tray.  "Gosh, girl, get a grip!"  Angel exclaimed.

            "You've got talent!"  Irvine said.  "You can kick those Jelleyes around pretty good."

            Barbara took one of the box salads off the rack.  She sighed and shrugged.  "Yeah, I guess you're right about that, but being able to fight won't get me into Magnet School." 

            The lunchlady looked up, uninthusiastically at the three of them from where she sat stewing over chili, hot cheeze and vegetables.  She mumbled something, which was lunchlady for 'What do you want, now?'

            Angel looked through the window at the chunky, soupy, red liquid that was labled 'Chili'  "Ugg."  She made a face.  "Maybe Berk was right."

            Irvine looked down.  "Huh?"

            "Oh, nothing."  She answered, then said to the lunchlady, "I'll just have some nachos, thanks."

            The netted old woman looked to the young man in tanned leather.  He checked out the menu.  "Oh, uh, just a burger will do me, thanks."

            They got their lunch, paid and headed back to the table where Davis, Cruz and Diego had joined Riverside and Berkeley.  

            "Hi, everbody."  Angel waved.  "You certainly got through the line fast."

            "Yeah,"  Davis said, putting his tray down.  "Some kid smelled the chili and fainted, and line four was still clear from when the faculty came and picked him up."

            "Oh, that's good," Barbara said, unsure, "I guess."

            "Over here, Cruz, sit by me!"  Angel said, putting down her tray by her stuff.  Cruz wandered over and sat with her.  Irvine parked on Cruz's other side, and Davis next to him.  Barbara sat in between Riverside and Diego, who was happily eating his chili.

            "Ug, I can't believe you are actually eating that stuff."  She wrinkled her nose at the smell.

            "It's actually pretty good."  He answered.  "As long as you swallow really fast before your tastebuds kick in."

            "Again, I say Ug."  

            "Where's San?"  Cruz asked.

            "Oh, you know her!"  Davis said.  "She's probably playing doctor somewhere."

            "Speaking of which," Angel said, "we were just talking in line about what we wanted to be after we graduate."

            "Really." Davis said, flatly, returning to his cheeseburger.

            "Yeah,"Angel continued.  "Like, Davis, what do you want to do for a living?"

            "Well,"  He answered, putting down his sandwich, "since you have dragged me into this conversation, I'll tell you.  I am hoping to become a Veterinarian." He shrugged.  "But I also like Nuclear Physics, I'm thinking that I am going to run a veteranary hospital where they recycle nuclear waste into pet products."

            Cruz laughed.  "I can't beleive you just said that."

            "Well, how else would you blend my two bizarre interests?"  He asked.

            "I don't know."  She answered. "Maybe you could be a Nuclear Scientist on the side or something." 

            "How about you, Cruz?"  Angel asked.

            Cruz blushed a little, embarrassed.  "What I really want to be is a Marine Biologist."

            "Like you had to ask!"  Diego cried.  "Sis doodles dolphins on her notebook covers!"  His sister blushed a little deeper, the red turning bricklike on her orangey-tan skin.

            "Diego?" Angel asked, her blonde hair flipped as she turned her head to look at him.

            "I want to be an Oceanographer."  He answered.  "You could say that interest in the ocean kind of runs in the family."  He took another quick slurp of the deadly chili before adding; "but you wont find me drawing seascapes on my worksheets."

            "I want to be an Ecologist."  Riverside said.  "I don't draw either, but I do like to imagine myself inside the pictures in our Natural Science textbooks."

            "I'm beein' a Journolist."  Berkeley said, cooly.  "I wreet in m' spare time."

            "I always draw on my papers."  Angel said.  "You have to be able to draw to be an Architect."

            "I already knew what you wanted to be, Ange."  Barbara said.  "I'd like to be a Nuclear Engineer, if I can pass the finals."

            "We could start a plant, Bar."  Davis said.

            She rolled her eyes.  "With you?  I don't think so."

            All eyes turned to the last in the party that hadn't shared his plans.  "Irvine?"

            He looked up, inquisitively.  "Welp, I really don't know what I want to be."  He admitted.  "I like science, and I like fighting, I like my Medical class, but I also like my Business Administration class, so I'm just confused, I guess."  He shrugged.  "I'm best at combat, though."

            "Are you hoping to transferr to Balamb and become a SeeD?"  Cruz asked, her deep brown eyes looking a little worried.

            He didn't notice the look, but answered casually, "Maybe, someday, but for now, I think I'll just keep doing what I'm doing.  I like it here where I grew up, you know?"

            They nodded.  Cruz smiled again, and returned to eating.  Diego chuckled a little at this, then asked.  "Irvine, do you have a date yet?"

            Cruz's eyes lit up, scared.

            Irvine slammed both hands on the table.  "What makes all of you suddenly so interested in my romantic life!?!"

            "Oh, it's just that I might know someone who would like to go with you..." Diego said, looking slyly over at his sister.  She made a slashing motion across her throat, her eyes burning through the lenses of her glasses.

            Irvine's eyebrows shot up.  "Really!?  Who?"

            "Oh, nobody."  Diego smiled, again at his sister.

            "Oh, come on!"  Irvine pleaded.  "I'm in a crisis here!"

            "Well,-"  
            Cruz looked to Angel for salvation.  Her best friend got the message and interrupted.  "Perhaps you should make sure she's free before you volunteer her, Diego."  She suggested.  "You wouldn't want to embarrass anyone, would you?"

            "Oh of coarse not."  Diego said, snidely.

            Cruz leaned over and whispered in Angel's ear.  "I hate brothers."

            "I'd agree if I had one, but using your's for an example, I think that you have the right idea."

            "Ye might wanta keep it down," Berkeley said, "De Buzzards have landed."  He motioned to the door.  Everyone turned to see that Headmaster Martine had entered the room.

            "Oh, no, I hate him."  Davis said, acting the casual observer.  "He thinks he's the ruler of the universe."

            "Where have you been?"  Riverside asked.  "He IS the ruler of the universe."

            "And I'm not tellin' him otherwise."  Irvine said.

            "Oh no!"  Barbara threw her hands up over her mouth.

            The others turned to her.  "What is it?"

            "Here comes San!  If he catches her late for anything, he'll kill her!"

            San walked into the cafeteria, not noticing that Martine was there, and headed toward her normal lunch table where the other eight were sitting.  Martine caught sight of her and started over.  

            "Ahh!"  Barbara cried, muffling the sound with both her hands. "She's a goner! At the rate he's gaining, he'll have her before she even gets halfway here!"

            "San!"  Riverside called.  "Behind you!"

            She stopped in between two tables, taking a second to try and understand his warning.

                The others covered their eyes.  "No don't stop!"  Martine was closing in, San looked slowly over her shoulder, his shadow looming over her.  Irvine bolted. 

            He came in between the angry headmaster and his friend.  The cafeteria got unusually quiet, all eyes on Irvine, San and Martine.  She was surprised to see her friend's face suddenly appear in front of her, but not as surprised as Martine was.  "San!"  Irvine tried fast to think of something.  The smell of chili was heavy in the air.  "Um...That was great!  You did an excelent job of taking care of that kid!  You're going to be an excellent doctor!"  He whirled around to face the headmaster, San at his back.  "Don't you think that she took care of that kid with the food poisoning well?  You know you really should check out this cafeteria food, it isn't healthy for us students."  He waved San out from behind him.  "You should, like, run tests or something, or at least hang up warning posters on chili day."  He started to back out, Martine's eyes furiously impatient.  The bell rang.

            Irvine took off  "Hurry, we don't want to be late for our next class!"

            He got back to the table as the others were cleaning up.  "Phew, saved by the tone!"

            "Thanks, Irvine, that was a close one."  San said, shaking her head and making the tight black curls bob about.

            "That chili excuse was ingenious!"  Riverside commended.  He then turned to San.  "Where were you, really?"

            "I was lableing some stuff for Mrs. Grizwalde in Pharmacutical Studies!"  She said.  "She kept me after class because I was late coming from Photography. She set me to work when the rest of the class left, but I enjoyed my punishment so much, I lost track of the time."

            "That is an odd problem."  Davis said.  "Never had that happen to me."

            "Who's taking the trays?"  Angel asked, quickly.

            "Diego."  Cruz said, menicingly.  They all mechanically tossed their trays over to Deigo, who protested, but ended up taking them anyway.  They made sure to avoid Martine as they left the Cafeteria.

San, Riverside, Irvine, Barbara, Davis, Diego, and Berkeley bid farewell to Angel and Cruz, and headed off toward the dorms.  The two girls started off on their own way.

            "Cruz!"  Angel snapped.

            "What?"  She asked, confused, "why are you yelling at me all of a sudden?"

            "You haven't asked him yet?!?"  Angel demanded.

            Cruz turned brick red again.  "...No..."

            "You have to ask him soon before he finds someone else."  Angel said.  "The dance is tomorrow, you know."

            "I know," Cruz hung her head.  "I'm just embarrassed, that's all.  You know I've liked Irvine since we were all twelve years old.  I can't just come out and ask him to go to the dance, we are supposed to be friends!"

            "You can be a friend and still go to a party, can't you?"  Angel asked.

            "But, what if it doesn't work out."  Cruz said, pathetically.  "Then we won't be friends anymore."

            "Sure we would!"  Angel smiled.  "The nine of us are tight, we all know eachother really well.  Something small like a dance wouldn't ruin our friendship."

            "But we'd never be able to look at eachother the same way again!"  Cruz insisted.  "I just don't want to mess this up!  I like the way things are now."

            "Wouldn't it be better, though, if it ended up that Irvine liked you too, and you ended up going out?"  Angel asked.

            "Do you think he really might like me!?"  Cruz asked.

            "He didn't say anything to me."  Angel answered.  "But you know him, he's such a fun guy, and he really likes girls.  He'd never pass up a dance with you, if you asked him."

            "Hmmm."  Cruz thought a second.  "Maybe you're right."

            "CRUZ!!!!"

            The two of them turned and saw Diego run up from behind, the dog-tags on his necklace whipping around and hitting him in the chest.  The man stopped in front of them and turned to his sister.  "Cruz, Riverside just reminded me that Dr. Herchin told us we needed our textbooks for Marine Biology next hour!  I just wanted to make sure you knew."

            "I knew already, thanks Diego."  Cruz grinned.  "It was on the board yesterday before we left."

            "It was?"  Diego asked.  "How'd I miss it?"

            "You forgot your glasses yesterday, remember?"  Cruz said, messing with her own spectacles.   "I was surprised you even found the classroom."

            "How'd you forget your glasses?"  Angel asked, amazed.  "I mean, how'd you leave without missing them, considering you probably had to grope for the door."

            "Hah, hah, It was early, and I was stressed out." Diego explained, shortly.  "Well, since you already know, I'd better go catch up with the other guys.  I know they didn't wait for me.  Oh, and Cruz," he turned as he started off to say, "don't worry about your little secret, I won't tell him."

            "Thanks, Diego."

            The islander rushed off down the halls and intercepted Irvine, Davis, Riverside, Berkeley, Barbara, and San on their way across the Garden.   Barbara turned when she saw him coming.  "Sheesh, Diego, took you long enough."

            "I stopped to talk!  Sue me!"

            "Okay."  She giggled a little to herself as he came to a stop next to her.  

            "Looks like you are feeling better, already, Bar."  Riverside said to her.

            The short girl smiled up to him.  "Sure, it's easy to relax knowing that we have two hours of butt--kicking ahead of us, and no essay in sight."

            "We're lucky we've got Itami, Shi, and Kusaru for insructors."  Davis said.  "Last year I had Saigo Batsu for an instructor.  He was mean!  He made us do a written AND physical exam at the end of the symester last year."

            "Dang."  Irvine said.  "That's bad."

            "Tell me about it."

            "Well,"  Riverside shrugged, veering off.  "I'm off to go take my Ecology final, see you guys later."

            "Seeya, Riverside!"  They waved to him as he dissapeared down the science block hallway.

            "Poor sucker."  Davis smiled.  "He's got to take an old fashioned, timed, two sharpened number two pencils test while we get to have fun killin' stuff!"

            "So cruel." San said, shaking her head.  "Davis, you really should minitor  your adrenaline level; make sure it doesn't get to high, or you might be dangerous."

            "Darn right I'm dangerous!"  He whooped.  "Dangerous and proud of it!  My adrenaline level is as high as it needs to be, and it's gonna earn me and 'A' on this test!"

            "San,"  Barbara called, flatly, "its not his adrenaline, its his testosterone."

            "I'm beginning to think that you are right."  San agreed.

            "Hey, don't go insulting the rest of us men."  Diego warned.

            "Ya, don' go jumpin' all ova us jus' 'cause Davis's a jerk, ya know, mon."  Berkeley added.

            They got to the dormatories and seperated, San and Barbara down the girl's hall and Diego, Davis, Berkeley and Irvine down the boy's.  

            "Hurry mon!"  Berkeley said, giving Irvine a heavy-handed clap on the back.  "Ya know we don' have dat ext'a minute dis time like we namally do."

            "Alrighty, no problem."  Irvine galloped down the hall to his dormroom, while digging in his pocket for the key.  After getting the door open, he flipped on the light and re-trod all over his uniform on the way to the far wall.  There, mounted on two pins, was his prized sawwed-off shotgun.  "Okay," he said as he carefully eased it off the pegs.  Once he'd gotten the weapon in his hands, the sharpshooter was flooded with excitement and anticipation for the class ahead.  "Nice.  Who's gonna get me an 'A' next hour? You are!"  

_            RAP RAP "Irvine!"__RAP RAP Diego was pounding on his door "Hurry up!  The warning bell's about to ring!"_

            "Right."  Getting a grasp of the handle in one hand and the cold metal barrel in the other, Irvine headed out into the hall where Diego was waiting.

            "Took you long enough," Diego snuffed, "let me guess, you were 'oo'-ing and 'ahh'-ing over your gun again?"

            "It's not just a gun!" He said, comically, "It's my date to the Winter Social!"

            "Whatever!"  Diego laughed, tapping the end of his staff on the floor by his thonged sandals.  "Let's just get a move on alright?  We're gonna have to run to catch up to the others as it is."  The two of them sprinted out, back into the Garden lobby where they caught glimpse of several other tough-looking Garden students running for the training center.  Berkeley and San could be seen dashing around the corner up ahead.  Undoubtedly the others were ahead of them.  The warning bell rang.

            "One minute!" They started sprinting a little faster as they barreled through the hall door.

            "Great," Irvine hung his head, " this will would be the second class I was barely late for today!  What's this going to look like on my permanent record?"

            "Kinneas?  Fretting!?"  Diego laughed.  "Thought I'd never see the day!"

            "Well, I am, and it isn't good for my nerves, let me tell you!"  He panted.  "I'll be surprised if I can even shoot straight after this."

            "Now that would be a tragedy."

            They swung open the training center doors a second before the final tone.  Instructors Itami, Shi, and Kusamu watched with grim satisfaction.

            "Well, you boys seem to have warmed up pretty well for the exam today." Instructor Shi said, her sharp grey eyes criticising them with every word.  "You're just lucky that you didn't come a second later or I'd really have something to smile about."

            "Yeah, real lucky." Irvine and Diego exchanged critical glances.

            Shi wasn't pleased with the shared remark "Get in line."

            As they did, the stragglers started coming in from the hall.

            "Tardy, are we Mr. Wilder?"  Big, gruff Instructer Kusamu asked smugly.

            "Ya-yes sir." Wilder answered.  The name just happened to belong to Rance, the student from Irvine's adjacent locker.

            "Tch, tch," Shi shook her head.  "Too bad for you."

            "Too bad for you and your final grade."  Instructor Itami added.  The man stretched out his long arm as if extending Rance Wilder a gift.  "Ku, give this careless student three demerits."

            "Three demerits," Kusaru brought up his clipboard and scribbled down the perscription with a blood-red pen.  "Check."

            Rance's jaw dropped.  With sharp gesture from Shi, the stricken lad plodded over to the line.  In a minute, all the late comers had arrived and class had begun.  The students stood in line with their weapons, in alphabetical order.  Irvine Kinneas and Davis Jones were seperated by two people while Berkeley Hie Jr. and Barbara Hans stood about five persons way.  San Francis was at attention three people away from them, and Diego Martinez was further down the right side with Rance Wilder taking up the end.

            Instructor Itami started pacing up and down the line on his long legs.  "As you all know, this is third hour Combat and Phys-Ed.  And for those of you who are stupid and don't know this already, your final exams are today."

            Shi started pacing aslo, recovering the ground left by Itami.  "Now, this is the way it is going to work.  Even though we have two hours, we still have a lot of ground to cover.  We will separate the hour into four sections, covering four of the major things we've studied so far."

            Kusaru took up pace behind her, much the same way she'd taken up pace behind Itami.  "The two hours will be sectioned up into four peices.  One will be weightlifting, one will be distance running, one will be monster battles, and the last will be special weapons tests."

            "Now, you may wonder how we are going to pull off observing four groups of kids with just the three of us."  Itami said, stopping at the end.  "Don't you, Miss Ayeki?"  He leaned forward to address the young lady at the front of the line.

            She was apparently not expecting to be singled out and stammered, "no sir!  I- I mean yes sir!  No?  Yes!"

            "Hmm."  He smiled a mischevious little smile, which covered his long narrow face with a look of horrible satisfaction.  "Are you nervous Miss Ayeki?"

            "No sir!  I-I mean yes sir! I mean, ohhh." She hung her head.

            "You need to shape up if you want to transferr to Balamb someday."  Itami informed.  He pointed down the line to Kusaru.  "Two demerits."

            "Wha-???"  Her face drained itself of color and her eyes gaped, disbelieving.

            "Two demerits."  Kusaru brought his clipboard back up on his thick dark arm and whipped out his red pen again.  "Check."

            "Ohhh."  She hung her head, almost in tears.

            "Do I see weakness?" Itami asked.  "Do you want more demerits?"

            Ayeki emmediatly straightened back up.  "Sir! No Sir!"

            "That's good."  He sneered.  "Anyone esle showing weakness?"

            They all took a deep breath and chorused. "Sir No Sir!"

            "Good."  Shi said.  "Nerves are things a real sodier never lets show.  If you encounter an enemy someday that can think as well as see, your nerves will undoubtedly betray you.  Don't let your emotions show in battle.  Especially not on exam day."

            "Another reason you should stiffen up," Kusaru boomed, "is because we have a world-renound Combat Instructor to help us with your grading today."  The three of them stepped back and an older, asian-looking man stepped into the arena.  Davis almost passed out.  Kusaru beamed from where he stood, chest out, filled with pride.  "Saigo Batsu, the most famous combat instructor in Galbadia has graciously desided to come out of retirement in order to help you on your exams."

            Davis hung his head.  Irvine could barely hear him whisper, "Dangit.  I hoped that I would never see that student hating, book eating monster of a teacher again!"

            "Mr. Jones."  Batsu called in an old, wrinkled, age worn voice.  Davis's head snapped up.  It was apparent that this crouched old man had hammered a little disipline into the rebellious young man not to long ago.  The instructor limped his way down the line with his cane.  "I thought I would never see your young, disobediant, vermin butt again.  I am sorry I was wrong."

            Davis stood rigid, staring straight ahead and breaking the beginning of a sweat.  Those few words, however was all that the old man said to him before moving off down the line.  Davis let go of a heavy sigh when he'd left.  Batsu joined the other three instructors in front of the line.  They gave a bow and thanked him for joining them.  Shortly, Itami stepped foreward to tower above the students.  "Alright, we are now separating you into your first four groups.  All who use a sword or any other bladed weapon as a specialty, join Shi over in the target grounds.  All who remain with the last names starting with A-M go with Kusaru to the weight room.  People with names N-S go to the track with Batsu.  Those who are left are with me in the training center, everyone straight?"

            "Sir yes!  SIR!"  The group chorused.

            "Good."  Itami said shortly.  "Dismissed!"

            Barbara took up her wrist-blades, and Berkely his machete.  They both followed the other blade-wielding students and took off for the target arena.  The remaining students seperated and headed off with their assigned instructors.  Irvine Kinneas was left with Davis Jones, Diego Martinez, and San Francis.  The only one separated was the rebellious Rance Wilder who marched, wired, out to the training field with Itami.  The A-M crowd headed for the weight room with Kusaru.  When they got there, they all stood at attention along the wall and waited for the arrival of their instructor.  The large, burly, black man arrived humming as he marked his clipboard with red ink.  Once he entered the room, he turned to the students against the wall.

            "Alright, I have one thing to say to you students, and that is this." Kusaru said.  A warm, excited smile eased across his face.  Although the biggest and the burliest of the instructors, he was also the most easy-going.  He thought that strictness was vital, but that education should be fun.  He offered his students some encouragement.  "Treat this like any other day in this room.  Unlike the other areas of the training center where you will be graded for how fast and far you run, how sharp and precise your aim, or how effectively deadly your battling skills are, weightlifting is for participation.  Call me a softie, but I don't want to see you kids hurt yourselves under my watch.  I will be grading this final for how well you press yourselves.  I have your "Starting Wieght Lifted" charts from the beginning of the semester right here in front of me.  I am going to walk around and see how you have improved through the training we have done.  This is a fourth of the final grade, so don't slack off.  I just want a nice, normal day of you students pressing yourselves at your normal wieghts.  Right?  Right."  He got serious again.  "Dress out."

            The students took a breath and headed for the locker rooms located just outside the door.  The wieght room was a large square building in the huge expanse of the Garden training center.  Most of the center was taken up by its namesake, the partly deserted, partly forested area where all the resident monsters lay hidden.  Irvine looked over and saw a group of the students out with Itami.  He wished he was there instead of lifting right then.  Davis turned and saw him staring blankly.  He rolled his eyes and grabbed Irvine's trench-coated arm.  "Come on, Kinneas, get it together."  The red head drug Irvine into the boy's locker room.  

            Batsu's distance runners were dressing out as well.  Irvine went to his assigned gym locker in between Diego and Davis.  Berkely's was located under Diego's, but because he was working at the target arena, he didn't have to dress out.  It was a school policy that all physical education activities were to be dressed-out for, but the combat activites, because they would normally take place in street clothes in real life, were required to be instructed with the students still in uniform.  It would be interresting today, considering everyone was wearing what they wanted.  Irvine stripped off his trenchcoat, and shoved it into the top-locker, then started unbuttoning his purple vest.  

            Diego took off his leaf-green vest and pulled on his white gym shirt.  "Yo, Irvine, I've been meaning to ask you something."

            "Shoot."  Irvine said, undoing the last button and baring his back as he slid off the vest.

            Diego watched it go in the locker with the coat.  "Why purple?"

            Irvine took off his hat only long enough to pull on his own gym shirt.  "I dunno, it worked, ya know?"  He stuck the hat snugly back on his brown haired head.  "I kinda liked it, actually."

            "Jus' asking."  Diego stepped out of his frayed denim shorts revealing a slightly embarrasing tan line on his pale orange thighs.  It was hastily recovered by black shorts.  Davis hopped on one leg trying to get his black shorts over his white running shoes.  Irvine looked up from where he was undoing his belt buckle.

            "Davis, that is just so attractive to watch, I don't know how you keep the girls away."

            "Ha Ha."  Davis said, finally unsticking one pant leg from his foot.   "Come on, Cowboy, your turn, show us your briefs."

            "Fruit of the Loom, man."  Irvine chuckled.  "Gaa! I'd be happy to if I could just get this stupid belt undone!"

            "Yeah, that would get you a date before you knew it."  Diego laughed, pulling on his socks.  

            Irvine finally got the belt off.  "You know, you two bug me so much about my date for the dance, but I havn't heard you say a thing about yours."

            Diego looked away.  "Umm.."

            "Ha!"  Irvine grinned, "just as I thought, Diego!  Nobody right?"

            "What does it matter if we have dates or not?"  Davis asked.  He gave Irvine a shove that nearly knocked him over.  "It's a lot more fun to mess with you."

            "I'm so sure."

            Diego started tying his bright white tennis shoes.  He'd barely worn them outside of gym.  He much preferred his thongs.  They, unfortunatly left their own embarrasing tanlines on his feet.  Davis stood up after getting his shirt on.  "So, are you guys done yet?"

            "Almost."  Diego said, bringing up the other foot.  "We aren't all as well-prepared as you."

            "Only because you don't know how to tie shoes, and Irvine insists on dressing like a danged cowboy!"  Davis said.

            "Hey, what if I want to dress like a cowboy."  Irvine defended.  He finished pulling on his shorts and began to change his shoes.  He sat down on the bench next to his shotgun.  "I don't make fun of you for dressing like a gang memeber."

            "Hey watch it, Lowrider."  Davis warned.  

            Diego stored his staff up over the lockers.  "I'm ready."

            "Hold on!"  Irvine finished tying his shoe and put his boots in the locker. He picked up the gun.

            Davis shook his head.  "Oh!  The traditional storing of the shotgun!  How could we forget?"

            Irvine decided to play along with the joke and hummed the Brittish Royal March as he carefully set his firearm inside the locker.  Then, on the final drum roll, he closed the door.  Diego laughed.  "Great, now that that's over with, lets go pump some iron!"

            Getting out of the locker room was a tricky ordeal.  It finally came down to jumping on top of the room-length bench and running to the front of the room, sometimes jumping people tying their shoes or narrowly escaping slipping on a shirt or pair of shorts.  They got to the front and dismounted.  With a "Ta Da!", they left the locker rooms behind and filed back into the weight room.

            "Good!  Three more!"  Kusaru smiled, he smacked his clipboard on the heel of his hand.  The sound made them all jump.  "Pair up and get to it!"

            "Yes sir!"  They all saluted fast and took off for the machines.

            They stood awkwardly for a second in front of the rowing machines.  "Okay," Irvine spoke up, "and for the million-dollar question... who's going to leave?"

            Davis shifted weight.  "Um, I'll go.  I don't feel like being upstaged by you and Diego at the moment.  I'm gonna go find a weaker guy to partner up with.  It will help my semester grade."

            "Okay, Dave, if you want."  Diego shrugged.  "You'll be missin' the fun."

            "Sure, whatever, man."  Davis said, smuggly, heading off.  "Be seein' ya!"

            "Seeya!"  Irvine made a quick wave and he and Diego took off for the heavy machinery.

            "Okay, what first?"  Diego asked.  "I mean, let's not take anything wimpy, this is our grade."

            "If we want a good impression, I vote the benches."  Irvine said, with an excited smile.

            "You would pick your favorite first."  Diego shook his head, then returned the smile and agreed.  "Okay, let's go."

            "Alright-TY!"  Irvine grinned.  He romped over and layed out on one bench.  He cracked his shoulders, elbows, and wrists in preparation.  "Load me up."

            "How much d'ya wanna start with?"  Diego asked, his dogtags dangling in Irvine's face.  

            The sharpshooter swung them back and forth and Diego threw them over his back to get them out of the way.  "Start with a-hundred."  He said, straightening his hat.  "I'll build from there."

            "Right-o." Diego agreed and prepped the bar with disk-shaped weights while Irvine cracked his neck and fingers.  The dark-haired man looked down after finishing.  "Why am I doing this for you, anyway?"

            "Because it's your job."  Irvine said, shortly.  "Now, lets get it on."

            Diego lifted the loaded bar off of its stands and into Irvine's anxiously awaiting hands.  The cowboy lowered it and it's 100 pound weights down onto his chest.  Diego was to serve as a spotter, and squatted at the head of the bench with his two hands inside Irvine's on the pole to catch it if it should drop.  He braced himself.  "Ready?...Go."

            Irvine set his jaw and pushed up on the weights, his triceps and pecks isolated.  While he was going through his reps, Diego was counting off.  

            "One...Two...Three...Four...Five...Six...Seven...Eight...Nine...Ten...   Two...Two...Three...Four..." he continued in this manner for five more sets of ten, then hoisted the bar back to its stilts.  Irvine loosened his grip and got up.  Diego took his place.

            "Okay,"  Irvine panted.  "What can I do ya for?"

            "Put twenty more on there."  Diego smirked.  "I want to prove that I can show you up."

            "Whatever you want."  Irvine said, cocking an eyebrow, and shrugging.  He loaded and secured a twenty pound weight to each side of the bar, then took position at the head of the bench and placed his hands in the same way Diego had.  "Ready."

            "You bet."

            "Go"  Diego pressed through his own reps while Irvine counted.  In the middle of his eighth set, two guys came and took the bench right next to them.  Irvine and Diego got through the last two sets and shelved the barbells before looking to see who it was.  One was Davis Jones, who seemed very pleased to be reunited with them, even after such a short separation, and the other was a squirly little kid with dark brown skin, big round brown eyes, a long face with a large nose, and a matted sprout of black hair on top of his head.  His name was, as they all knew, Safil Kabir-Yadhak.

            "Davis!" Diego exclaimed, a little short of breath from his lifing.  "You paired with Safil?"

            "Yeah,"  Davis affirmed, a little pitifully.  "Well, he didnt have a partner, and he can only lift sixty on any machine here!  Even the leg machines!"

            "Hey, I do the best I can!"  The little arab said, cynically.  As he spoke, he revealed his gross overbite.  "I doubt you could do any better, scrawny asfal!"

            "Watch your slimey little froggy tonuge."  Davis spat.  It was obvious that he wanted to label his partner with a name much worse than the one that came out.

            "Well, its only for thirty minutes, don't kill eachother."  Irvine advised.  "That won't show up very good on your permanent record."  Diego got up and Irvine took the bench again.  He directed Diego.  "Take off those twenties and exchange them for fives, I'm gonna see how high I can go for Kusamu."

            "Sure."  Diego said, going to work.

            "Fwwhat's wrong, cowboy?"  Safil asked, lisping.  "Can't take any more than thaf?"

            "I'm not tryin' to kill myself, squirrely."  Irvine said.  "Come on Diego, what's taking so long?"

            "The pin's stuck."  Deigo answered.  

            "Oh...shho now the Islander can't turn a littul pin?"  Safil asked.

            "Can we get to work already!?"  Davis demanded, his blue-hasel eyes sparking impatiently.  Safil hopped on the bench first.  

            "Shure"  he grinned.  The grin made him look for all the world like a weasel.  

            Diego got the weights fastened and started Irvine into his second rep.  Safil didn't speak durring his lifting, apparently the forty-pound weight was too much of a struggle for his stringy arms, so much that he couldn't concentrate on much else.  Davis and Diego both counted in sync with eachother, and the two students finished at the same time.  Irvine and Diego switched.  Davis did the same with Safil, who was out of breath.

            Davis brushed past his partner, roughly.  "I put my own weights on.  I wasn't sure if you'd do it right or not."

            "Thansfff, I guess."  Safil said, slitting his saucer-shaped eyes.  Davis spread himself on the bench and Safil took up post with his boney hands on the bar.  

            Recalling how hard it was for the little man to lift forty pounds, Davis glanced to the ninety-pound wieght suspended on each side of his head.  "You know, I don't think I trust you with this."

            "Stop yappin' and get liffin', tuffguy."  Safil shot.  Without warning, the arab shoved the barbells off of their stilts and onto Davis's chest.  He let out an oof, then started lifting.  All the while, Safil was heckling Diego as he worked.  "'Sat di bes' you can do?  Islander?  Cannibal? Robinson Crusoe?  Tough dude can only lif' nineney poundths?"

            Diego strained on the bar and grunted out his reply with one word whever he could get one out.  "Its...One-...Fifty...freak."

            Safil liked the irritated response that came from Diego.  "One-fiffy?  Is fat in coconuts?"

            Irvine shot him a sharp repremanding.  "Hey, get back to work!  Stop bothering him!"

            "Shure.  Now the horse boy wants to mess wiff Safil."  the other grinned.

            "Hardly."  Irvine said, trying to talk and keep count at the same time.  "You're not worth scrapping my grade over."

            "How mush more irritafing do I have to be to be worf it?"  Safil asked, licking his protruding front teeth.

            Irvine was tired of conversing with this lowlife, and answered simply, "don't you have some counting to do?"

            "Done!"  Davis cried, he'd been counting his own lifts and now lodged his weights back on the pegs without Safil's help.  It was at this point that Kusaru walked over with his clipboard and red pen.  

            "So, how's it coming fellas?"

            "Good, sir."  They all answered.  Diego shelved his weights with Irvine's help, and got to his feet.  They all stood while Kusaru was there.

            Kusaru got his board ready for writing.  "Give me your weights.  First Jones."

            "Ninety, sir."  Davis answered, then cast a look to Safil.  "With no help from my partner."

            Kusaru made note of the number.  "Good job, Jones, much improvement."  He cast his small eyes down to the scrawney boy that was Davis's partner.  "Kabir-Yadhak?"

            "One hundred and forfty!"  Safil announced proudly.  Davis's jaw dropped.

            Kusaru, however was smarter than that.  "You don't even weigh that much, runt!"  Safil's smile melted off.  "Now how much did you really lift?"

            He hung his head.  "Jus' forfty."

            "That's more like it."  Kusaru said, poking the youth in the chest with the blunt end of his pen.  "And you get ten points off for lying on your semester grade."

            "Waff!?  But I-"  Safil tried to correct his mistake, but the damage had been done and marked on the paper in red ink.  

            Kusaru moved on.  "Kinneas?"

            "One hundered and Five, sir."  Irvine said, casually.  He was not proud or dissapointed at his weight, it was about what he had been lifting for the past month.

            "Good."  Kusaru said, looking at the chart.  "You could work a little harder, Kinneas, that's only about fifty pounds more than at the quarter."

            "Uh, yes sir."  Irvine agreed.  "I'll do better next semester."

            "Yeah, just be glad you have another semester to work on it."  Kusaru said.

            Safil gave Irvine a sideways glance. "Busffed, horse boy."

            "It's called a cow boy."  Irvine whispered back.

            Kusaru moved to the last of the foursome.  "Martinez?  What about you?"

            Safil interrupted before Diego could answere.  "Two coconuts on each end of a stick!"

            Someone behind them laughed, but Diego ignored it.         "One Hundred Fifty, sir!"  He answered, strongly.

            Kusaru looked over Diego's past record and whistled.  "You need to tone it down.  Last week you only were lifting one-fifteen.  You're gonna pull a muscle or worse.  The semester grade is just to see how you're doing."

            "I can handle it, sir!"  Diego said with confidence.

            "Then don't blame me if you can't move tomorrow at the dance."  Kusaru warned.  "I'll be there, and I'll laugh at you when you walk in like a penguin."

            Davis laughed and Diego elbowed him in the gut. 

            Kusaru said one last thing before moving onto another group of students.  "I'm serious, Martinez, lifting too much more than you are used to can be a really serious problem. When I went here and took this class, I wanted a really good final grade, so I lifted three hundred when I was only up to 190.  I tore a ligament and had to get it fixed surgically. To this day, I have to watch out for my left shoulder when I lift."

            "Yes, sir, I'll remember it."  Diego affirmed.  Kusaru left and the islander turned on Safil.  "Hey stick!  What was with that coconut crack in front of the instructor, huh!?  I got a mind to ring your chicken neck for that!"

            Irvine and Davis held him back in case he actually decided to attack.  Safil giggled with satisfaction.  It was an ugly, nasal sound.  Diego sneered, disgusted and yanked his arms from the other two's grip.  "C'mon, guys, let's get out of here."

            "I'm all for that."  Irvine agreed.

            Davis hung his head.  "See you guys around, then, I guess I'm stuck with my poor excuse for a partner."

            "Sorry man."  Diego said.  "I would keep by you two except that if I am within earshot of that weed for another minute, I might end up suspended during the dance."  With that, he shrugged and excused himself.

            Irvine stood awkwardly for a second with Davis looking pitufully up at him.  Then jabbed a thumb in the direction Diego had headed and muttered offhandedly, "um...I'm his partner."  With a quick look that expressed the feeling 'that's life' Irvine took off after Diego.  He caught up with the dark-headed islander, over by the leg-press machines.

            "So what's next?"  Diego asked, still looking irritated.

            "Do we even have to do anthing else?"  Irvine asked, his hands on his hips.  "I mean, Kusaru's already checked us out.  He won't be bothering us for the rest of the class."

            "It's a participation grade, remember?"  Diego said, obviously.  "If we just stand around, were dead."

            "Oh, right."  Irvine was feeling even more awkward now.  He reached back and started to mess with his long brown ponytail.  "Well, heh, then I guess we'd better choose a machine, then."

            "Yeah,"  Diego agreed.  "So where do you want to go?"

            "I chose last time, you choose."  Irvine was trying to get Diego in a better mood, he was downright dangerous when he was testy.  At least he had to leave his staff shelved in the locker rooms.

            "Why do I have to choose?"  Diego asked, hotly.

            "I-I'll choose if you're gonna be that way!"  Irvine defended.  He scanned the room, "uh...lets get over there to the rowing machines."

            "Why?  You hate those."  Diego said, cocking an eyebrow.

            Irvine tugged his hat down and smiled somewhat mischeviously, "well, if you'll look, there's a group of exceptionally fine-lookin' young women over there."

            Diego turned to look at the thin, scantilly dressed, female students who were using the rowing machines.  He smiled too.  "Ah, lady's man,"  he turned back to Irvine, "women make all the difference, don't they?"

            "A'course."  Irvine answered, his smile still on his face.  "You know I love girls, expecially when they're sweaty with all thier muscles showing.  I can't resist a buff girl."

            "Well, alright."  Diego grinned.  "Why not."

            As the two of them approached, they saw that one of the girls was San, her  long black hair pulled back in a quick bun and the sweat glinting off her dark skin.  She seemed to be working for her grade as well.  Diego took the machine next to her.  

            "Hey, San, whazzup?"

            "...I'm...rowing..."  San answered, between heaves.  "...why?..."

            "I'm just wondering."  Diego answered.   "Kusaru been by?"

            "...ug!...No!"  She said.  This last rep seemed to be killing her.

            "Whoa, San, don' overdo it over there."  Irvine warned, leaning on Diego's machine.  "Kusaru just gave Diego the lecture about that."

            "..Really?...did he?..."  San was not too interested.

            "Yeah," Irvine started fooling with his hat again, pulling it down over his face and then putting it back again, "I'd think that if anyone knew the dangers of over-working it'd be you, Miss, Doctor-wannabe."

            "...don'...call...me...that..."  She grunted, then let the weights drop.  They made a sudden, loud, clanging noise that made the rest of the room jump.  She took a breath, then looked up at Irvine.  "I normally pull that much.  I like a good challenge.  Gotta feel the burn."

            He snuffed some air through his nose, causing a nasal sound of amusment.  "Remind me not to mess with you again, geez."

            San smiled, feeling indimidating.  Diego shoved his glasses further up his nose, like he usually did when he was going to ask a question he'd been thinking about.  "So San, who are you going to the dance with?"

            She turned and raised her eyebrows.  "Why, aren't you the nosey one today?  What, do you want to recruit me to be Irvine's date?"  Irvine's smug grin turned into a glare, and San gave her own nasal laugh.

            "No, uh, I-"  Diego was looking strangely nervous.  Irvine thought he knew what was coming.  The islander fixed his glasses again.  "I was actually wondering whether you'd like to go with me or not?"

            "With you!?"  San cried on reflex.  Diego looked dissapointed, and she tried to make up for her reaction.  "Well, no offense, or anything, its just that someone has already asked me."

            If Irvine didn't know better, he would have thought that Diego looked crestfallen.  The latino stared through his glasses at the machine in front of him, dissapointed, but then shook himself out of it and returned to his normal boyishness.  "So who are you going with then?"

            "Hah, why should I tell you?"  San asked, grasping the handles of the rowing machine for another rep.  

            "Come on!"  Diego prodded.

            That last awkward moment had reminded Irvine about his own dance problems. He was feeling particualarly brave, and decided to move in on the other three girls who were resting on the other side of San.  He crossed in front of her machine and leaned on one of the rowers beloning to the girls.  "Uh, Hey."

            The three looked up from their conversation.   They didn't seem happy to see him there.   On tough looking girl with a thick Deling City accent spoke up almost immediately.  "There're open uns down thare!"

            "Uh,"  Irvine swallowed hard, he wasn't feeling brave anymore.  "I know that."  He decided to turn on the charm.  "I was actually comin' over to see how you ladys'ere getting on."

            "Fine."  The city one said, unsure of what to make of him.  

            He tugged his hat down again.  "I was wondering whether any of you fine young women were planning to go to winter dance tomorrow."  Before they answered, he added. "But of course you'll be going!  How could such hot chicks not be going to the dance!?  It was probably a waste of my time to even come over here to ask if any of you are free."

            One, a short blonde-haired girl with freckles and pigtails started giggling, and answered.  "You're a smooth talker! Well, as a matter of fact, I do have someone to go with me!  He's this cutie from bio-class!  He asked me a week ago, and he has these big sparkling blue eyes and he's the captain of the basketball team!  He's also got this really cool car and lots of money!  He's no good at fighting, but that's okay because if any bad guys would come up and threaten him, his looks would make them drop dead!  Oooh!  He's so fine!  The other day he took me for a drive, and the wind was blowing in his hair and-"

            "MITSEY!"  Both the city girl and the Asian girl with them cried.  Mitsey looked bewildered and shut up.

            "sorry"

            "I guess I'll take that as a no."  Irvine said, downhearted.

            "Yeah, do."  The city girl snapped.  "I wouldn't go with a guy like you anyway!  Yeh think yuh so high and mighty!  I'm a truth-told feminist! I'm taking myself to the dance!  I don't need all this 'boys thinking their so much better than us' crap!  Milo Constante doesn't take no wimpy boys to no dances."  Milo crossed her arms and stuck her nose into the air.  The asian girl simply shook her head.

            "Well, um,"  Irvine put his hat on his head the right way, a little hurt by Milo's outburst. "I'm sorry to take your time, then.  I hope you have a lot of fun taking yourself to the dance."  With that, he excused himself and went to sit on the far end next to Diego.

            Diego whistled and raised his eyebrows at Irvine who was looking defeated.  "Wow, burned."

            "Seriously."  Irvine agreed.  He crossed his arms on the row handles and put his head in them.  

            "Hey, Irvine," San said, gently, "It's not about you.  Milo's my weight partner.  She's always like that."

            "I'm sure."  Irvine said, his voice muffled by his arms.  He shoved himself up and threw his hat down on the floor.  "Why'd I have to wait 'till the week before to find a date!  I must be a total loser!  MAN!"  He stomped it in his rage, then looked down and realized what he'd done.  "Aw!  Dang!"

            "Irvine, don't take it out on yourself,"  San consoled as he picked up the cowboy hat and turned it right-side in again.  "I mean, its just a dance."

            "Easy for you to say, San, you have a date!"  Diego said, accusingly.

            "No, she's right."  Irvine said, placing the somewhat dusty hat back on his head.  "I'm not going to die because I don't have a date.  I'll probabky just rip someone else's date off when I'm there.  Either that or I'll stay home."

            "Don't do that!"  San said, quickly.  Diego looked cynical, both he and San had Cruz on their minds.  Irvine looked puzzled, and San tried to recover the situation.  "Um, I mean, you'll have fun even without a date!  You can hang out with us!  Or at least hang out with Diego, I don't think he has a date yet."  She said, giving the islander a look.  He returned it with malice.

            The rest of the thirty-minute period followed, about the same lines.  Diego and Irvine followed hot-looking girls around the weight room until Kusamu called from the front for them all to line up in the main commons again.  The students filed out and re-took their positions in alphabetical order in front of Itami, Shi, Kusamu and Batsu.

            "Alright!"  Itami crowed.  "Next, I want everyone who have hand-to-hand combat weapons; i.e. gloves, ropes, chains, whatever, report to the target arena with Shi.  Of those remaining, A-M with Batsu at the track, N-S with me in the training area, and T-Z with Kusaru on the weights.  Clear?"

            The class chorused.  "Sir, Yes, Sir!"

            "Dismissed."

            Davis took off for the locker rooms again with Berkely and Barbara, who's last names ended with H.   They had to store their blades and dress out for track with Irvine, San, and Diego.  Davis, however turned and laughed.  "Hah!!  I've got a CHAIN!  You guys're stuck with Batsu and I'm not!  Hah!  Hah!"

            "Laugh eet up, mon."  Berkely sneered.  

            "We'll meet the three of you there, Bar!"  San called as she and the other already-dressed-out students headed off.

            "Sure."

            Hunchbacked Batsu was waiting for them by the track.   The students lined up and awaited instructions.  Batsu tapped his cane on the ground.  "So you're my next group of victims."  He laughed.  The laugh ended in a hissing and he checked his watch.  The blade students ran up from the lockers and filed in.  "Ah good.  The last of the stragglers.  In this part of your final, you will be judged by how fast and far you run and how long you can do it.  So keep count of how many laps you make.  You only have thirty minutes, so if you want a good mark, you'd better be on your feet and sprinting the whole time.  The one who's done the best will get the best grade.  Its simple enough even for stupid people."  Batsu directed the class to line up on the starting blocks.  "Get ready to run your worthless hides off."

            "Yes sir!"  The class said as they all took up thier positions.  Barbara leaned over to Irvine as they took their places and whispered.  "I can see why Davis is so afraid of him, he's mean!  He's really unfair too!  I don't run that fast!"

            Irvine nodded and got in the starting position.  Batsu watched his watch and punched the timer.  "GO!"

            They were off.  Irvine eased himself into a decent pace, knowing that there was a long time until he was able to stop.  Some of the more desperate students took off at a breakneck pace that he knew would kill them in five minutes.  Berkely ran up and matched stride with him.

            "'Ey, mon...How ya doin'?"

            "Okay..."  Irvine answered.  "This bites, though.  Batsu expects too much."

            "Yeah mon."  Berkely agreed.  "D'you mind if I run with you?"

            "Nah, why not."

            The two of them made their way around the track.  They didnt say much, because they had to conserve breath.  Barbara was behind them somewhere with Diego.  Diego was strong, but he wasn't fast like the others.  He and Barbara suffered from short-leggedness.  San, however was way ahead of them, sprinting at long, even strides.  Her quick bun was coming out and she was looking focused.  Irvine and Berkely watched her turn the corner up ahead of them.  Berkely sacrificed breath enough to ask.  "How's she do 'at?"

            Irvine shook his head and made a sound of ignorance.  They continued in this way for six or seven more laps unitl San lapped them.  She waved as she passed, more sweat on her face and back.  They waved back and watch her long legs carry her off.  Ten minutes had passed of the monotony.  Batsu seemed very pleased as the students who had started so fast ten minutes ago now made every effort to drag themselves around the circuit.  Five more minutes passed and the two of them were coing up on Barbara and Diego's backs.  They slowed down a bit to run with them, but they were tiring out and Irvine had a feeling that if he and Berkely slowed down then, they wouldn't be starting again.  And the session was only half over.

            __


End file.
